Uneven Flexibility

[Troy Kerr]

When performing the bent-leg hamstring stretch, I noticed that my left-leg is significantly tighter than my right. Any reasoning for this?

[Steven Low]

Do you play sports?

For example, with pitchers their front leg is usually more flexible than their leg that pushes off.

A lot of sports have some uneven flexibility requirements (which end up being detrimental in the long run without correct prehab/strengthening and flexibility).

[Mike ODonnell]

Because you are human.....and everyone has a dominant side they use.

Best solution, don't stretch out your right side until your left side catches up....no reason to keep increasing the imbalance.

Also unilateral exercises with good ROM will help....such as 1 legged RDLs and Lunges.

[Troy Kerr]

I played soccer from age 5 all the way through high-school, was a competitive martial artist, and until recently was crossfitting for 6-8 months. I have been trying to develop my lost flexibilty through static and pnf.

[Troy Kerr]

Is it also true that performing a movement through a full ROM increases flexibility? I have a horrible but wink in my front squat so I have been performing 3x20 air squats every day as well as regular stretching of my hamstrings. Will this work?

[Steven Low]

Originally Posted by Troy Kerr

Is it also true that performing a movement through a full ROM increases flexibility? I have a horrible but wink in my front squat so I have been performing 3x20 air squats every day as well as regular stretching of my hamstrings. Will this work?

The stretching of hammies will.

You should get down in the bottom of your squats and move around and stretch everything out especially calves/ankles as well.

Weighted squats will help get more ROM because of the loaded stretching effect. Make sure you maintain proper form.

[Troy Kerr]

What if your performing weighted squats and have a horrible butt wink. Mine kicks in about halfway through the actually movement. Would you advise progression up through the squats based on the stretch they provide the hamstrings. Say Goblet for X about of time, front squat X amount of time, back squat X amount of time?

[Steven Low]

Err, you should be working your form exclusively. Some weights may help induce a good stretch, but you MUST take care to correctly execute the technique to get the stretch you need.

[Apry Johnson]

I read in a yoga book that most people have flexibility imbalance. That doesn't mean that we should not try to fix it. If it goes too far, you can hurt yourself. So try to strech the tighter side more. That's all there is to it.

[Mike Mallory]

You can dig out of a flexibility imbalance......Usually they stem from something above, tight neck, old injury, whatever. Just keep evaluating it, and stretch the tight side 2x as much for a while until it balances out

if it doesn't come out on its own, then I'd look towards upper cervical chiropractic or something of the like. Sometimes its SI joint misalignemt too.